Owner`s manual

198 Driving and operation
Driving hints
The first 600 miles (1000 km)
Drive your vehicle at various speeds. Do
not use full throttle. Never allow the engine
to labour at low revs.
Make good use of all gears. Depress the
accelerator pedal a maximum of around
three quarters of the available pedal travel
in all gears.
Do not drive faster than three quarters of
maximum speed.
Do not brake unnecessarily hard for the
first 125 miles (200 km).
Never coast with engine not running
Many units will not function in this situation
(e.g. brake servo unit, electro-hydraulic
power steering). Driving in this manner is a
danger to yourself and others.
Brake servo unit
When the engine is not running, the brake
servo unit is no longer effective once the
brake pedal has been depressed once or
twice. Braking effect is not reduced, but
significantly greater force is required for
braking.
Electro-hydraulic power assisted steering
If the power-assisted steering fails when
being towed with the engine switched off,
the vehicle can still be steered, but
considerably more force is required.
Driving in mountainous terrain or with a
trailer/caravan
The cooling fan is electrically operated. Its
cooling power is therefore independent of
the engine speed.
Since a considerable amount of heat is
generated at high engine speeds and less
at slower speeds, do not shift down when
climbing hills whilst the vehicle is still coping
with the gradient in the higher gear.
Driving with a roof load
Do not exceed the permissible roof load -
see pages 232, 325. For reasons of safety,
distribute the load evenly and secure it
properly with retaining straps. Adjust the
tyre pressure to the load conditions. Do not
drive faster than 75 mph (120 km/h). Check
and retighten the straps frequently.
Observe country-specific regulations. Roof
loads are not permitted on the Astra
TwinTop.
Switching off the engine
When you switch off, fans in the engine
compartment may continue running for a
time to cool the engine.
If the engine temperature is very high, e.g.
after driving in mountainous terrain: allow
the engine to idle for approximately two
minutes in order to prevent heat
accumulation.
Vehicles with turbocharged engine
3
After running at high engine speeds or high
engine loads, operate the engine briefly at
a low load or run in neutral for approx.
30 seconds before switching off in order to
protect the turbocharger.
Save energy – more miles
Please observe the running-in hints on this
page and the tips for saving energy on the
following pages.
Good, technically correct and economical
driving ensures maximum durability and
performance for your vehicle.